Sammy Watkins wanted to join team with young QB he could 'grow with'

Last offseason, Sammy Watkins had no say in where he’d play. As a member of the Buffalo Bills, he figured to finish out his rookie contract in Upstate New York, but a trade to the Los Angeles Rams brought a sudden end to that possibility.

This year, Watkins had the pick of the litter when it came to deciding which team he’d join for 2018 and beyond. As an unrestricted free agent, Watkins was free to sign with whichever team he’d like.

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He decided to join the Chiefs on a three-year, $48 million contract, making him one of the highest-paid receivers in the NFL. That came on the heels of a disappointing 39-catch season, but the Chiefs saw enough in Watkins to hand over a boatload of cash.

It’s hard to blame Watkins for joining Kansas City, but his reasoning is a bit, well, confusing. He told USA Today recently that he signed with the Chiefs because they’re a young team with a good coach and a quarterback he can grow with in Patrick Mahomes.

Is that not what he just left in Los Angeles?

“I just made the playoffs one time, and I want to have a successful career. And the only way to do that is to get with a good coach and a good team, so I definitely looked at the players and the quarterback,” he said. “I got a young quarterback who might play 15 or 20 years and be great. I didn’t want to be with an older quarterback. I came here to be with a young guy that I can grow with. I’m young, he’s really young. It’s a young team in general.”

Good coach? Check.

Good team? Check.

Young quarterback he can grow with? Check.

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The Rams check off all the boxes on Watkins’ wish list, and after the offseason they just had, they look like the better team heading into 2018. Granted, the Rams probably wouldn’t have added Brandin Cooks and Ndamukong Suh if Watkins signed with them, but their roster is loaded right now.

Ultimately, it was Watkins’ decision to make and it’s clear the Rams weren’t willing to pay him as much as the Chiefs were, and it’s certainly reasonable to believe it worked out for both sides. The Rams landed cooks and Watkins got his money.

He has no hard feelings about the way things went last year, instead believing that his time in Los Angeles helped show his ability to get open, even if Jared Goff didn’t look his way much.

“It was a good thing where I went to the Rams and went through that situation of getting open and showing what I can do playing without the ball. I think those are the best receivers,” Watkins said. “I might get double covered the entire game, and I’m still working. Or I might be open the whole game and not getting the ball — zero targets, zero yards — but I’m still getting open, still working hard.”

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